Destiny's Way
by Spotsylvania
Summary: Determined to find Bastila and stop Darth Malak from overrunning the Republic, Revan and his companions struggle to find their way on Taris. They are confronted by a mysterious and powerful Jedi Master who may just be the key to helping them win the fight against Malak...
1. Taris and the Aurelia

**Hello everyone! KOTOR has always been one of my favorite games. One thing that's always bothered me though is that it's 4,000 years in the past, so I wanted to find a way to connect that time with the post-Empire era. The way I'm doing it is by bringing an OC character from a time in which a couple of decades have passed since the defeat of the First Order and a subsequent Sith insurgency against Pro-Republic forces. This is going to be a retelling of the fight against Malak, with new paths and decisions to make for Revan, Bastila, and their party. Let me know what you think!**

Supreme Chancellor Sion Visar was into the fourth year of his first term as the newly restored Republic's chief executive. It had been a long hard road since Darth Krayt's death, but the galaxy was at last starting to heal. Hyperspace trading routes were monitored by a huge and elite Republic and Imperial fleet. Sion had taken great pains to establish friendly relations with every single system in the galaxy. His diplomatic corps took responsibility for it, and the Senate's cooperation had made legislation and otherwise governing the Republic much smoother than in the past. The Chancellor's control of the military and his popularity with the people united the galaxy in the journey to recovery.

Sion had moved the Republic capital to Corellia, which he felt was a more peaceful and appropriate location. He lived in the Capital Tower in a penthouse which was upstairs from his large office, and it gave him easy access to Coronet's government district where the Senate was based. He was relaxing one weekend night and decided to go for a ride in his black starfighter. Sion temporarily left Corellia's orbit and cruised around in open space. He was enjoying this until he felt the hyperdrive in his fighter start to malfunction. The Jedi Master desperately tried to fix it, but was launched into hyperspace…

After a terrifying time of uncertainty, Sion's starfighter emerged suddenly near Taris. The controls were all over the place and it was all he could do to crash-land on the planet's city surface. He shook the cobwebs from his head as he got out of his plane and inspected the damage. It was nothing major, but he needed to have some repairs done and get a new hyperdrive.

He looked up and saw a half-dozen men in grayish-black armor approach him. One of them asked him a question, "You, civilian, what brings you here to Taris? The Sith have a quarantine on this world and no one arrives or departs without proper authorization."

Sion was puzzled as he thought to himself, _What the hell is going on here? Taris is cooperating with the Republic military. There is no Sith presence here._ He decided to show this man he meant business, "I don't need to explain myself to you. I'm just a simple traveler whose ship went crazy on him. Nothing more."

The Sith leader was not pleased by his explanation, "You will come with us. I have no doubt you are working for the Republic, and we do not tolerate subterfuge."

Seeing that this couldn't end well, he decided to use a mind trick. It didn't work as the Sith took out a vibroblade along with the others, "You'll pay for that, you insignificant little rat!" Sion saw two men running towards him in the distance, perhaps to help or hurt him. He didn't know which, but acted fast. With a small wave of his hand, all of the Sith soldiers were thrown onto their backs. They were quick to recover, but the distraction allowed Sion to bury his fist into their leader's face. With the power of the Force behind the blow, the man was knocked unconscious. The soldiers backed away from Sion as the two men in the distance had finally arrived. They thought discretion was the better part of valor and dragged their commander's unconscious form away.

The Chancellor was furious as he yelled at them, "Tell your friends there's more where that came from!"

One of the two men looked at him, "Are you alright? Those Sith have been treating the people here very badly. They'll probably be after you for what you did."

Sion rolled his eyes, "I've fought Sith lords before. They don't faze me in the slightest. That was one of the reasons why I was elected Chancellor."

The first man, who had slight facial hair and was dressed like a pilot, had a look of surprise on his face, "You're the Supreme Chancellor?!"

"In the flesh. I'm Sion Visar, and I still don't know how the hell I got here in the first place," Sion answered with a twinge of sarcasm.

The pilot looked at him with suspicion, but seemed to buy what the Chancellor had said, "I'm Carth Onasi, and this man with me is Daran Kenzer. We're soldiers with the Republic, and we crash-landed on Taris just like you did. Don't you know it's dangerous for the Chancellor to be in Sith territory?"

Sion paled when he heard the man's name, "I must have hit my head harder than I thought. Did you just say your name was Carth Onasi?"

"Yes, what's so weird about that?" Carth was puzzled.

The Chancellor then realized that the hyperspace jump may have done more than just take him to Taris, "Carth, is there a Sith lord by the name of Darth Malak who's trying to take over the Republic?"

"You must be a really stinky Chancellor if you didn't know that already," the second man confirmed his suspicions.

Sion shook his head, _This is just great! I go out for a cruise and I end up over 4,000 years in the past. Why me?! Maybe I'm supposed to do something, especially considering Revan is right across from me._ He spoke out loud, "I guess I'm a bit behind the times, literally. Obviously, I need to get off this planet, and you two need help. So what do you say if I join you?"

Revan/Daran smirked, "How fitting… The Supreme Chancellor needs our help."

Carth glared at Daran, "We need any help we can get. We'll be happy if you could join us, Sion. There is a Jedi we're looking for. Her name is Bastila, and we have to find her before we can think of leaving Taris."

Sion thought about whether he should use his knowledge of the past to help, and decided to do so, "I know where she is. She's being held captive by some nitwits called the Black Vulkars as a prize for a swoop race. Let's get going and find her..."

Daran smiled, "I like the sound of that."

Carth stopped them, "Wait a minute! We can't just go barreling through the Vulkar base. We don't even know where it is, and we'll get killed. Besides, how do you know all of this?"

The Chancellor tried to explain, "Don't ask me how I know. I just do. If you want to question my motives and annoy me, well that's not going to help you find Bastila. And I'm a Jedi Master. I can take care of some idiots who think they're hot stuff."

"I'm beginning to like this guy even more," Revan said to Carth.

"You don't even know where their base is," Carth complained again.

Sion paused for a moment, _He hated to admit it, but Carth was right. He didn't know where the base was, but he did remember from his studies of this time period where the Sith base was_ … "I tell you what, you two go and find the Black Vulkar base, and I'll infiltrate the Sith base and get the launch codes we'll need to escape," he suggested.

"That's a suicide mission!" Carth was still being difficult.

Daran took him by the arm, "He's a Jedi Master. If anyone can do it, he can. Besides, we'll knock out two things at once. Let's go and try to find the base."

Sion watched as they walked to the turbolift that would take them to the Lower City. He knew he would have to tell Daran that he was really Revan sooner rather than later.

It wasn't hard for Sion to knock out the two guards protecting the Sith base with the Force. He stole the armor off one and put it on before using the guard's access code to enter the base itself. It was easy going as the Chancellor walked in plain sight without anyone being the wiser. After a half hour of looking, he found the turbolift that would take him up to the Sith governor who had the codes. He convinced the guards that he had a scouting report for the governor on Bastila and was allowed to go in. _Too easy,_ Sion thought as he went up.

The door opened and the Sith governor stood before him. His advanced Force sense told him the intruder was not Sith, "Why are you here? Has my master sent me a challenge?"

"No, but I'll spare your life if you give me the launch codes," Sion offered.

"The arrogance of you, to speak to me like that! I shall gut you like the sniveling womp rat you are!" the governor lunged at him with his vibroblade.

The Chancellor easily dodged his attack and ignited his lightsaber. He didn't want to kill if he didn't have to, but the governor's constant striking left him with little choice. Sion ducked a blow and plunged his saber into the man's gut. The governor screamed in pain and died almost instantly. "Such a shame. There was no need for it to be this way…" he sighed as he picked up the datapad containing the launch codes and went back to the turbolift. After fifteen minutes or so, Sion was out of the Sith base and on his way to the Lower City.

Meanwhile, Carth and Daran had tracked down the Twilek Mission Vao and helped rescue her Wookiee friend Zaalbar. She knew how to get them into the Vulkar base, but Daran wanted to let the Chancellor know what had happened. He contacted Sion on his commlink, "Sion, this is Daran. We found the base and picked up a couple of new companions. Did you get the launch codes?"

Sion smiled as he sat drinking a glass of Tarisian whiskey, "I got the launch codes, Daran. Where are you exactly?" "

"We're in the sewers of the Undercity just outside the base entrance. Can you get here soon?"

"I'll be there as fast as I can. The alcohol here sucks anyway. See you in a few. By the way, there's something I need to tell you in private. Believe me, you'll want to know this…" Daran tried to talk again, but Sion's commlink went dead, "That's weird. What would he want to tell me?"

Carth overheard him, "Sion knows something about you?"

"Yeah, he wants to tell me in private. Anyway, he said he'll be down here soon."

"Who are we talking about?" Mission asked.

"His name is Sion Visar, and he claims to be a Jedi Master and the Supreme Chancellor," Carth was still very suspicious about the newcomer.

"Oh, come on! It's obvious he's a Jedi Master, and who's to say he's not Chancellor as well?" Revan defended Sion.

Carth shook his head as Mission became excited, "If that's true, then he'll be one hell of an ally!"

It took Sion a good hour to make his way into the sewers. Using Revan's Force signature to guide him, he finally saw his party.

"Nice of you to finally show up," an impatient Mission remarked.

"So you must be Mission Vao, and that big-ass Wookiee is Zaalbar?" Sion greeted them.

"Wait, how do you know our names?" the Twilek was stunned.

The Chancellor grinned, "I know a great many things about the events to come. All of you will find my knowledge beneficial, especially you, Daran."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Carth couldn't take it anymore, "I want some answers from you!"

Sion looked cross, "I've only been on this planet for a few hours and I already don't like you. You want to know the truth? Fine! Everything I said to you has been honest, but I am not from this time. I should be over 4,000 years in the future relaxing in my penthouse on Corellia, but my starfighter cruise sent me into hyperspace and here. I can't make this stuff up, and now it seems helping you is my only way home…"

Everyone was shocked at Sion's outburst. There was stunned silence until Daran spoke up, "I believe you. I've been experiencing some weird things myself lately. So you know everything that will happen? Does that mean we can change things?"

"Yes, and the worst of it happens to you and Bastila. I intend to keep that from happening," he replied.

"This is a lot to take in, but I'm willing to trust you," Mission backed him.

"Didn't you just hear him, Mission? He lied to us about who he was. How can you say that you trust him?" Carth demanded.

Daran had enough at this point, "Look Carth. We can keep arguing, or we can team up and continue with what we have to do. It's your choice."

The pilot considered his words for a moment, "Fine, but I don't trust you, Sion. I'll be keeping my eye on you."

"You're an idiot," Sion muttered under his breath, making Daran and Mission laugh. All of them went through the entrance to the base to free Bastila.

It was very easy going for the group of five as they cut their way through the base. The Vulkars that weren't taken out by Sion were dispatched by Daran, Carth, Mission, or Zaalbar. "So what do you know about Bastila," a curious Daran asked the Jedi Master during a lull in the fighting.

"I can tell you that she's a bit ornery, arrogant, and infuriating, but underneath all that is a woman just looking to make herself happy. I look forward to meeting her," Sion answered him. "Hmm, sounds interesting," Daran was intrigued.

The five of them kept hacking and shooting away until Sion finally sensed Bastila's faint Force presence, "She's near. Could be in the next room, which means Brejik is too."

There was a large durasteel door blocking their way. "It's too thick to cut through. We have to find another way," Carth told everyone.

"Once again, you're an idiot," Sion shoved the pilot out of the way and concentrated his Force powers on ripping the door away. After a brief time, the door began to come loose. The Jedi motioned to his party, "Cover me as I get rid of the door. I don't want to be on the receiving end of blaster fire from some amateur punks."

They all nodded and started pouring blaster fire through the gaps as Sion succeeded in removing the door and setting it against the wall. Fortunately for him, his companions' fire sent the Black Vulkars inside scurrying for cover. Revan led the way into the massive room, firing all the way. Carth, Mission, and Zaalbar followed, adding their firepower to the mix. At last Sion came in, lightsaber ignited and spoiling for a fight. The Vulkars ran and took cover behind a shielded doorway.

Brejik leered at his enemies from behind the shield, "As you can see, we are behind an impregnable shield. Your pathetic attempt to rescue Bastila has failed, and I'm going to sell her into slavery for a proper price."

Carth could see Bastila in the corner of the room, kept in a state of drowsiness by a neural inhibitor, "We have to do something! Any ideas?"

Sion walked up to the shield and glared at Brejik, "Don't make the mistake of underestimating my power. I usually think the people back home who call me the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy are testing my modesty, but I have no problem proving them right. Let Bastila go and your lives will be spared. If you don't, well, you really don't want to find out the answer to that."

The Vulkar leader seemed a bit shaken by the Chancellor's words, but regained his composure, "I don't think so. This lovely woman will fetch a great price."

"I might have something to say about that, Brejik," Bastila had awoken and quickly freed herself from the cage. She killed a guard and retrieved his sword in the process, "Never underestimate the power of a Jedi. That's a mistake you won't live to regret."

Mission used the opportunity to deactivate the shield, allowing everyone to swarm in and attack the Vulkars. The fight did not last long, as Bastila and Revan simultaneously swung at Brejik with their blades, killing him instantly. Once the fight had ended, Bastila turned to her rescuers, "I'll have you know that I rescued myself, and I am not some prize to win. Although I wouldn't have been able to free myself if all of you hadn't showed up, so I guess I owe you thanks for that."

Daran didn't like this at all, "We risked our lives to save you, and this is your reaction?! You're the most sorry excuse for a Jedi I've ever seen."

Bastila got mad at that, "How can you say that to me?! I'm your commanding officer! I am the leader of this group, and I will get us off Taris."

She then noticed Sion's hooded black robes and the lightsaber in his hand, "You have the look of a Jedi about you. Who are you?"

"I go by the name of Sion Visar, and I am the Supreme Chancellor and a Jedi Master. How I ended up here is beyond me…" Sion answered her question.

"What do you mean, how you ended up here?"

"Let's just say that I crossed through time and leave it at that. I belong 4,000 years in the future in my penthouse on Corellia drinking good ale, not the shit they have here. Of course, getting home means helping all of you…." a frustrated Chancellor told her.

Bastila looked unbelievingly at Carth and Daran, who only nodded that his story was true, "Even if this farce of a story is true, what do you suggest we do now? I need time to make up a plan to get us off Taris."

"It's great to see you're so polite," the Jedi Master retorted, "I actually have the Sith launch codes. It was a cakewalk. The One Sith under Darth Krayt were so much more formidable than the idiots running around here calling themselves Sith."

He shoved the datapad with the launch codes in her face, "Here take it. I have a starfighter to repair before I meet you." Sion angrily stalked off to go back to the Upper City.

Bastila, Daran, Carth, Zaalbar, and Mission were back in the apartment on the Upper City plotting how to get off the planet. The Jedi Princess couldn't help but feel the sting of emotional pain Sion had caused her. She decided to give the Chancellor a piece of her mind.

Sion bought some parts from a junk dealer to fix the hyperdrive on his plane, which he was in the process of doing when a Mandalorian came up to him. "Canderous Ordo, to what do I owe the pleasure?" the exasperated Jedi muttered.

"So you've heard of me. That's to be expected since I'm in the Exchange. I'm not going to waste your time. I heard that there was a break-in at the Sith base, and I know it was you. You have those launch codes I need, and I can get you and your friends a ship that will get us off this planet. So what do you say?" Canderous floated a proposition to Sion.

Before the Jedi could answer, Bastila tapped Sion's shoulder from behind, "Remember me? The woman you dissed before walking out. No one treats me like that, and I want an apology."

He ignored her and spoke to Canderous, "That sounds good to me. There's an apartment the others are staying at that I was told about. We'll meet you there."

The Mandalorian smiled, "Pleasure doing business with you." He walked away before Bastila had a chance to protest.

The enraged young woman pounded on Sion's shoulders, "What are you thinking?! Taking help from that lowlife won't get us anywhere!"

The Jedi Master turned around, "It's the only way we'll be able to get a ship. I have my starfighter, but the rest of you need something to get off this planet. And you would do well to trust me."

The Padawan realized he was probably right about Canderous, but she was still pissed that he had ignored her, "Is this how you treat all the women you come across? Of course it is, you're a man. I shouldn't expect anything different."

He had finished the hyperdrive repairs at last and concentrated solely on Bastila, "Listen to me, I know everything. Where the Star Maps are located, the fact that Vrook's a moron, and Daran's real name…"

She shrunk back on hearing what he said, "Daran isn't anyone. He's just a soldier."

Sion rolled his eyes, "You and I both know that he's Revan. I'm going to tell him once we get off Taris, and then I'm going to re-teach him the ways of the Jedi. I assure you my knowledge will be much more useful to him than what those codgy Jedi Masters on Dantooine will do."

Knowing that it was hopeless to keep up the charade, Bastila gave in, "It's true he's Revan, but you can't tell him. He could turn to the dark side again. It's better to let the Jedi Council handle this."

He decided to put it all on the line, "Bastila, I know you don't trust me, but I have everyone's best interests at heart. I got the launch codes, helped you, and I know many things. What does the Force tell you?"

She cringed at his question. Common sense told her to view this man with suspicion, but the Force told her that his intentions were pure. Hesitating at first, she made up her mind, "I will trust you, even though every fiber of my being is telling me not to. You seem to care for me, but I can't let emotions get in the way of my mission."

She was right, he did care for her, _I can't get rid of the feeling that I'm attracted to her. Why is that? She's rude, uptight, and bossy. I should hate her guts, but I don't. Maybe this is what love feels like?_

Sion walked to the apartment with Bastila, struggling over what he was feeling. Before they got there, he asked her something, "Why don't you wear your hair down? Wouldn't it be easier that way?"

She shrugged, "It's just one of the ways of the Jedi. I'm not encouraged to show individuality."

Sion reached over to the bands keeping her pigtails in place, "Please, let me help you. I promise you'll feel better." Bastila was uneasy at this, but did nothing to stop him taking the bands off and releasing her brown locks.

He saw he hair down, _She looks so beautiful… Like an angel. I can't let anything happen to her, Leviathan or not._

She felt free with her hair no longer restrained, _He was right. It does feel liberating. Look at him eyeing me. He may be falling in love. What if he is?! What should I do?_

The two conflicted Jedi walked into the apartment to join the others, their opinions of one another completely changed.

It was not long before Canderous had them all inside Davik Kang's estate with the starfighter being confiscated by the Exchange. With Revan's sense of direction and cunning, they were able to quickly find the codes to disable the Ebon Hawk's shields. The Sith began bombing the planet as the entire party made a run for the ship. They were stopped by Davik and Calo Nord, who tried to kill them. Sion killed Calo with ease while Revan took out Davik. They all boarded the ship except for Sion, who recovered his starfighter and followed the Ebon Hawk as it finally left Taris' orbit. There was a Sith contingent of fighters to deal with, but with Revan manning the guns and Sion blasting fighters out of the sky with his starfighter, it was an easy battle. At long last, the Ebon Hawk and the Aurelia, Sion's name for his ship, went into hyperspace towards Dantooine.

During the long flight, Sion attached his aircraft to a cable on the Ebon Hawk and went down into the ship. After sleeping for a time, he sat on a cushion and meditated. There was the sound of footsteps in his cabin, and he opened his eyes to see Revan.

"You said you wanted to tell me something. I think I'd like to hear what it is," Revan stood in front of him.

Sion nodded, knowing that things were about to get very interesting, "See that the door is closed. I want no one to disturb us."

The former Dark Lord did as he was asked and sat next to the Jedi Master, "Now, what is it you wanted to tell me?"


	2. Revelations

Sion took a deep breath, "You have been having visions lately. That of a masked man named Revan facing Bastila and a few other Jedi on a ship. Then there is an explosion and Revan is left barely alive with Bastila looking over him. Does this sound familiar?"

Revan had a slight look of shock on his face, "I have been having these visions lately. I'm still not sure what to make of it. I thought it might be Bastila projecting something on to me. At times, I thought maybe I was Revan, but he died."

"The truth is, Daran, you are Revan. Bastila somehow managed to keep you alive long enough for the Jedi Council to erase your memories and implant you with this soldier identity. They wanted you to lead them to the Star Forge, a ship-building facility, so they could defeat your forces and keep the Republic intact. That explosion was caused by your apprentice Malak betraying you. I'm sorry for telling you this. I wish I didn't have to…" he looked down, almost in shame.

Revan was dumbfounded, literally unable to speak. He believed what Sion had told him, but it just seemed so unreal. "I-I don't know what to say. How could this be true? I'm just a pawn for the Jedi Council?!" he stuttered.

"To the Council, yes. To Bastila, no. You and she have a Force bond that started when she saved you."

"Why did she not tell me?"

"The Council forced her not to. She wanted to, but she had no choice," Sion lied to Revan.

The man was seething with anger and shock, almost on the verge of tears, "All of this has been a lie… What do I do now? Just pretend I don't know who I am once we face the Council at Dantooine?"

The Jedi decided to keep his promise, "Let me re-train you. What I can teach you far surpasses anything the Jedi Council can do. I have fought more Sith lords than I care to count, and have survived each time while killing most of them."

Revan looked at him, "You would do that?"

Sion nodded.

"What do we tell the Council? They're not going to take this very well. I mean, I would rather deal with someone I know than a bunch of people who see me as just a pawn," Revan was becoming cautiously optimistic.

"From what I know of the Masters of this time period, the only person we should have any problem with is Vrook Lamar. If I can best him in a sparring session, then we will be all set. We'll need to get Bastila on board, though," Sion formulated a plan.

"Thanks for telling me this. It's nice to know that there's someone honest around here," Revan tried in vain to crack a smile.

The Chancellor nodded as he got up to find Bastila.

The Jedi Princess was sitting in the co-pilot's chair next to Carth when she sensed Sion coming for her. He put his hand on her shoulder, "We have much to discuss."

She got up and went with him to her cabin, "You told him, didn't you?"

"I did, and I also told him you were forced to keep his identity a secret. A lie, but better than him being upset with you," he explained.

"How did he take it?" "Other than the surprise and anger, he actually took it pretty well. I offered to retrain him, and he accepted."

Bastila was uncertain about this, "Are you sure this is such a good idea? The Jedi Council will do a great job with him."

Sion shook his head, "Revan's already pissed off enough with them as is. Besides, he knows me, and I can be a better teacher than those Jedi. No disrespect."

"How do you plan to persuade them to go along with this?"

"The only Master I see being a problem is Vrook, and I can defeat him sparring. I have all my bases covered."

"Talking about me?" Revan poked his head in.

"I just finished telling Bastila about my plan, and she has agreed to go along with it," Sion informed him.

"Good, that's the first positive news I've heard in a while. I wish you had told me the truth, Bastila, but I understand why you didn't. No more secrets from now on, okay?" Revan stuck out his hand.

"That sounds good," Bastila shook it, but couldn't help feeling the connection between her and Revan.

Sion was not oblivious to this. At first, all he could think about was getting home, but now Bastila gave him a reason to stay, if only temporarily.

Darth Malak was infuriated that Bastila had managed to escape his clutches on Taris. Admiral Saul Karath interrupted him on the bridge, "My Lord, there is some interesting information about two of Bastila's companions…"

Malak didn't even turn around, "I hope you're not wasting my time. I will not tolerate any more failures."

"You will be very interested to find out what I have to say, my Lord," Karath said as the Leviathan drifted near the remnants of Taris.

The Ebon Hawk landed on Dantooine after several hours more. While Bastila went to have an audience with the Jedi Council, Sion climbed up a shaft into the Aurelia. As he was about to start the engine, Revan climbed up after him. "You mind if I take the co-pilot's seat? I want to see how good this thing is," he asked the Master.

"Why not? If we're going to be master and apprentice, might as well start now," Sion agreed.

Revan eagerly strapped himself in as the Chancellor fired up the engine, closed the top cockpit door, and gently eased the starfighter into the air. The ease with which it made difficult turns and spins, and the sheer speed it went through the air with amazed Revan, "So this is 4,000 years worth of technology? Damn, this thing is good!"

Sion smiled as he searched for the ancient ruins that housed the Star Map, "Glad you like it. Keep an eye out for any ruins. Our Star Map will be there."

Revan kept a sharp watch and spotted the ruins, "I see them! Down there by all those kath hounds."

The elder Jedi Master landed the aircraft a safe distance from the creatures and got out, followed by Revan.

Sion started to walk toward the ruins when he noticed Revan was lagging behind him, "Are you alright?"

His new apprentice shrugged, "Shouldn't Bastila be here for this? It just doesn't seem right without her being here."

The Master shot him a quizzical look, "You have feelings for her?"

"I guess I do, even if she is an insufferable nerf herder…"

"Such emotions are natural and part of being human. There is no shame in feeling and acting on them when the actions are good-intentioned and reasonable. Out of all the lessons I teach you, remember that one the most. Now let's get what we came for…" Sion surprised Revan with his philosophy.

He had thought the Jedi frowned upon emotion, but this man did not. He followed his master as they approached the kath hounds. Sion stopped, "Another lesson is never fight when you don't have to. If a peaceful solution is present, take it."

As the kath hounds approached to attack, he used his mind to ease the fears of the animals. They slowly backed away and went back to grazing. Revan was astonished, "That was amazing! You have to teach me how to do that."

"In good time, my apprentice. In good time," Sion chuckled as they came to the entrance of the ruins, "I believe this is where you come in. You remember this place?"

"From my dreams, yes. I was there with Malak, and we went in and found the Star Map. I'll try and open it," Revan put his hand on the center panel. The panel shrank back a bit and the door opened for them.

The two men walked beside each other and came to a droid. "Just ignore the droid and enter one of the doorways off to the side. There will be a computer there that will ask you some simple questions. Once you're done, part of the main doorway will be unlocked. I will take care of the other computer," his master told him.

Revan nodded and did as he was asked, answering questions about death-giving environments.

Sion answered questions about life-giving environments and walked out to meet Revan. They went through the now-unlocked door and saw the stand housing the Star Map spring open and a ball emit a map of the galaxy.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Master Sion marveled at the sight.

Revan remembered this, "It's all coming back to me now. This tells me part of the coordinates for the location of the Star Forge. I'll copy it down." He took out a datapad and entered in the coordinates, "It seems Tatooine, Kashyyyk, Manaan, and Korriban have the other Star Maps. We'll obviously have to go to those places to learn the full location.

Sion was pleased, "Good work, Revan. We have what we came for. Now to the Jedi Enclave to tell what we have found."

"Oh God..." Revan rolled his eyes. They walked back to the Aurelia.

Bastila had been explaining what happened to the Jedi Council. It went well until she mentioned the Jedi Master who had joined her party. Master Zhar Lestin was bewildered, "Who is this Sion Visar? There is no record of him in the Jedi Archives."

"There's a reason for that," Bastila dreaded having to tell the truth about Sion's arrival. "Perhaps that reason is that he's a Sith or a dark Jedi, and has cloaked his intentions," Master Vrook Lamar cautioned.

The young Padawan sighed, "I assure you, Master Vrook, he has no ill intent. In fact, he helped me escape from the Vulkars and retrieved the Sith launch codes on Taris. His abilities are profound, and the Force tells me he can be trusted. The reason he's not known to you is that he's from a different time…"

"This is indeed a surprise. I did not think time travel was possible. How can you be sure that this man isn't lying?" Master Dorak asked.

"He claims that he was flying his starfighter when his hyperdrive malfunctioned and took him across the continuum to Taris. As I have said before, I believe him. He knows things…" Bastila answered.

"What kinds of things?" Master Vandar Tokare inquired.

"Sion knew what happened to me, the locations of the Star Maps, about the Star Forge, everything…" she replied.

Just then, a loud boom shattered the still air as the Aurelia shot over the enclave and made a sharp loop in the sky as it came back for another pass. It landed right in the meeting space. Revan hopped out from the pilot's seat while Sion got up from the copilot's chair.

The Jedi Masters were in shock at this sudden landing, but more so when they heard what Sion had to say, "Greetings, Masters, my name is Sion Visar. And this is my apprentice, the man you used to know as Darth Revan. And yes, I did tell him his true identity. Better for him to know now than in a more compromising situation…"

Vrook lost it, "You are everything the Jedi preach against. Arrogance flows through you, and your lies impress no one!"

Sion grinned, "Why don't you prove it, Vrook? Beat me in a duel. You win, Revan's fate is decided by the Council. I win, we do things my way."

Vandar tried to put a stop to this, "There is no need to decide things in such a way. I'm sure we can find common ground."

"It's already been decided," Vrook ignited his lightsaber.

"Revan, Bastila, you may want to stand back," Sion activated his green saber.

Vrook and Sion circled each other, each intent on making their move. Vrook was the first one to strike, unleashing a flurry of blows. Sion deflected them easily and drove him back with swift, precise stabs that forced the Master to concentrate all his energy on defense. The Chancellor patiently waited for an opening, and struck when Vrook left his face unguarded for a moment. A searing elbow sent Vrook staggering back. Sion took a few steps back, "Is that all you got? I've fought Sith amateurs who are better than you!"

Vrook's anger got the better of him as he screamed and went after Sion. Revan's master was surprised at the man's fury and desperately fought off the attacks. He leaped up to the roof and flipped back down behind Vrook. With that, the battle continued for several minutes until Sion Force-pushed Vrook away from him. He used the opportunity to dive under a strike and slice Vrook's legs. The blow stung the ranking Jedi Master as he had been humbled, "I can't believe you beat me… This wasn't supposed to happen…"

The other Masters were stunned to see Vrook beaten so thoroughly as Sion slowly circled Vrook, "Revan will be my apprentice, and I want command of the expedition to find the Star Forge. Revan and I have already found the first Star Map, so we are ready to leave as soon as possible."

Vandar nodded, "We will take your words under advisement and let you know our decision. Please return to your ship until then."

Sion nodded and led Bastila and Revan back to the Ebon Hawk.

Bastila was still reeling from seeing Vrook get embarrassed by Sion. Seeing the Chancellor stand over the fallen Master after such a complete victory caused her to question everything she knew. All of her beliefs in the infallibility of the Jedi, their teachings, and her natural faith in them came crashing down. She saw Sion sitting on his bed, deep in thought. _This man balances light and dark so easily. His skill with a lightsaber is unmatched, and his command of the Force is unheard of. He beat Master Vrook so easily… If I am to reach his heights and be able to enjoy my emotions, then maybe I should…_ She had made up her mind as she walked into his cabin, "Sion, there's something I need to ask you."

He looked up at her, "Please sit. What do you want to know?"

Bastila sat next to him, "What you did to Vrook was completely unexpected. I have never seen someone with your abilities, with the possible exception of Darth Revan. It seems to come so naturally to you, and you are a master of emotions. Can you teach me to become that good?" Sion gave his answer some careful thought, "Bastila, Revan is only going to be my apprentice for a short time. It will not take long to re-teach him what he already knows. Once that happens, he will be ready to take on Malak and win. What you are asking me goes well beyond that. You are still a young Padawan with much to learn, no disrespect intended. I can teach you to become what I am, but it will take years just as it took me. And once I am able, I will be going back to my own time. If you want me to train you, then you must be willing to make that sacrifice. Leaving all that you know behind, and heading for an unknown future…" Her facial expression turned to one of sadness, "You can't stay here?"

"My home is back in the present on Corellia. My place is as Supreme Chancellor. The people of the galaxy are my utmost priority. I can't just leave them," he explained reluctantly. "Not even if I tell you I care for you? A Jedi is not supposed to feel such emotions, but…" she confessed to him.

He put his hand in hers, "Never let anyone tell you what you can and cannot feel. If you do not feel, then you lose any sense of being human…"

In that moment, Bastila kissed Sion deeply.

He pulled back for a moment, "Are you sure about this? How do you know what my feelings for you are?"

She smiled, "Call it intuition. Ever since we were on Taris, I've felt something for you. I know I can trust you, foolish as that may sound."

Sion nodded, "I am attracted to you. Why I don't know…"

Bastila went to kiss him again, and this time he didn't refuse. It continued on for a few minutes until Mission knocked on the door, "The Council has made their decision, Sion. They want us to meet with them."

Sion pulled away from Bastila, "I'll be right out, Mission."

She looked at him for a second as she adjusted her hair, "We need to keep this secret. The others can't be distracted from our mission, especially Revan."

"Agreed. I'll go out first and then you go when everyone else is gone," he suggested.

She nodded as he collected himself and exited the cabin with the door shutting behind him. Once a few minutes had passed, Bastila discreetly did the same. Now that the whole group was present, they went back to the enclave to hear the Council's decision.

The Council was waiting for them as they came in, led by Bastila, Sion, and Revan. Master Vandar addressed them, "After much deliberation, we have decided to send all of you on the expedition to find the Star Forge. Sion will command as per his request. Know that the Republic is counting on all of you, and we wish the Force to be with you."

"Thank you, Master Vandar. I appreciate the Council's faith in me. We will leave as soon as possible," Sion agreed, "By the way, you might not want to stay on Dantooine. Malak's probably going to bomb it at some point."

Vandar nodded as the group left for the Ebon Hawk while Sion and Bastila got into the Aurelia.

"I've always wanted to fly in a starfighter. How is this one?" she asked.

"Wait and find out," Sion grinned as he strapped in to the pilot's seat.

Bastila sat beside him and buckled herself in. The Aurelia took off and zoomed through Dantooine's orbit, followed by the Ebon Hawk. They jumped to hyperspace for the journey to Tatooine.


	3. The Desert and Wookiees

The Ebon Hawk landed in Anchorhead while the Aurelia touched down just outside the settlement. Bastila and Sion met Revan and the others in the local cantina.

"So what's the plan?" Revan asked his master.

"The Star Map is located in the Dune Sea in a krayt dragon cave. However, we need to stay her for a time so I can train you. I'm sure there are places where we can stay and lay low for a while," Sion answered, "Mission, Carth, Zaalbar, you three go look for a place we can stay while I take Bastila, Revan, and Canderous for a look around."

The three did so while Sion sat back and ordered a Corellian ale, "Ah...that's good stuff. Seems like forever since I've had one of these."

"I'll have what he's having," Bastila ordered a drink of her own.

"Smitten with the Jedi Master, are we?" Canderous poked fun at her.

"Not at all, unless you're jealous, Canderous," she retorted.

The Chancellor laughed and Revan snickered a little at this.

Canderous smirked, "I can tell you're swooning over him. For a Jedi, you're not very good at hiding your emotions."

"That's enough, Canderous. What Bastila feels or doesn't feel for me is none of your concern. One thing I will not tolerate is you annoying her. As long as I am the commander of this expedition, you will follow my orders and quit teasing her. Is that understood?" Sion snarled in a low voice.

The Mandalorian was shocked at the Master's outburst. He didn't have anything to say in response.

 _So much for keeping us a secret…_ Bastila communicated to him through the Force.

 _I'm not going to sit back and watch him do that to you. Now let's finish our drinks and concentrate on training Revan_ , Sion replied as he gulped down his ale.

She nodded as there was uncomfortable silence in the cantina.

The next several weeks were spent on the outskirts of the Dune Sea. Sion put Revan through vigorous training, which put even the level of training of the ancient Jedi Order to shame. He drove the former Sith lord mercilessly, teaching him almost everything he knew about the Force and lightsaber training. The Chancellor was happy to see that Revan lived up to his expectations, since he was up to the level of a Jedi Knight by the time two months had passed. Sion anointed him as a Knight, and then trained him for a few more weeks until he felt he could defeat Malak.

In the meantime, Sion and Bastila's relationship had flowered into something good for both of them. He trained her as well, although at a much slower and gentler pace than Revan. Gradually, she began to let herself feel and balance her emotions with her newfound sense of Jedi training.

The two of them kept things private, but Revan was growing fond of her as well. At last Sion felt Revan was done with his training and made plans to retrieve the Star Map. There wasn't much he could do to counter a krayt dragon without killing it, but maybe he could distract it long enough for Revan to retrieve the coordinates from the Star Map.

He met Revan and Bastila alone near the cave. "As I've told you, that creature in there is a big obstacle to getting the map coordinates. I'm going to be the bait for drawing this big monster out of his home and keeping him out while you get the coordinates," Sion pointed to the cave, "Revan, you'll go in while I draw the big guy out."

"What about me?" Bastila asked her new master. "I want you to use your newfound power to aid me through a Force meld. It will help to develop your mental stamina and communicate over distance," he told her.

She agreed to this and they set out to the edge of the cave and got into position.

Sion threw a couple of fragmentation grenades into the cave and looked at both of his companions, "Now might be a good time to get back a few feet…"

They did so just as two thunderous explosions sounded inside. A huge roar came from the cavern as the big krayt dragon slowly emerged. The Jedi Master began yelling at it to draw its attention to him, and took off running as the creature began its pursuit.

Once the dragon was far enough away, Revan sprinted into the cave and found the Star Map in the back. He quickly took down the coordinates.

With Bastila's meld providing him extra energy, Sion was able to put some distance between him and the dragon. She let him know through the meld that Revan had retrieved the coordinates. He kept running until the creature was considerably behind him and decided to give up. It returned to the cave as Revan and Bastila caught up with Sion. They returned to their lodgings to refresh themselves and talk over what had happened.

Sion was going over in his memory of where the Star Map on Kashyyyk was when Bastila came back from discussing plans with the others. She sat on the bed next to him, "We're leaving for Kashyyyk tomorrow. Do you remember where the Star Map is?"

"It's someplace in the Lower Shadowlands, guarded by a computerized device set by the Rakata, an ancient species who created the Star Forge. That's all I remember from my studies of this expedition," Sion answered.

"That's a good start. It's a good thing that we have you, otherwise this mission would be a lot harder," Bastila smiled at him.

He looked into her eyes, "When all this is over, will you come with me to the present? Corellia's a lovely place to live, and it would be so much better with you in my life."

She slumped back on a pillow, "I honestly don't know. I love you, Sion, and want to become a Master as powerful as you are, but I'd be leaving behind everything I know…"

"It's alright. You don't have to decide right now, but I hope you come with me…" Sion kissed her as they rested for the next day's journey.

The entire group left for Kashyyyk aboard the Ebon Hawk with the Aurelia attached to it. The Jedi Master explained his plan for obtaining the Star Map to the others, "The Hawk will need to land on the tree-tops since it's too big to infiltrate to the Shadowlands. The Aurelia can dive through the narrow gaps in the tree cover and land on the surface. Bastila and I will do this and scout the area while the rest of you take care of the business concerning Czerka enslaving the Wookiees."

He looked at Zaalbar, "Your brother Chuundar is in some trouble, and that has to be fixed. Once that happens, all of you can join us on the surface and find the Star Map. I've already told everyone in-depth what is happening on Kashyyyk, and I think we can agree that a quick and effective solution would be best. That being said, Revan, you know what to do."

Revan nodded, looking at his other party members, who were still struggling to come to terms with his true identity.

"Good luck, and may the Force be always with us," Sion concluded.

Once the Hawk came into the planet's orbit, he and Bastila flew the Aurelia away from the bigger ship and above the tree-tops. Bastila held on for dear life as Sion dove the starfighter through the narrow gaps in the tree cover before finally landing on the surface. The Jedi Princess got out and felt a bit woozy, "That had to be the scariest minute or so in my life. How in the hell you did that is beyond me…"

The Chancellor grinned and took her by the hand as they went to explore the area.

Revan landed with the other members of the party in Zaalbar's village. He knew Sion had little patience for the problems with the Wookiees and Czerka Corporation, so he decided to resolve things fast. Acting on the Jedi Master's suggestion, he intended to use mind tricks on Zaalbar's brother and leader of the Wookiees, Chuundar. The top Czerka official dealing with Chuundar selling his people as slaves would be dealt with in the same way. Revan gained an audience with the Wookiee leader and cautiously entered his house.

"You and your companions will bow to Chuundar before stating your business," one of the Wookiee attendants stated.

Revan bowed his head ever so slightly before speaking, "I know that you have been selling Wookiees into slavery for Czerka and fooling everyone. No need for pleasantries, so you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?"

Chuundar roared, "How dare you come in here and accuse me of such treachery?! Apologize before I decide to have you disposed of!"

"I think not…" Revan concentrated on manipulating the Wookiee's thoughts.

The chieftain scratched his head for a moment, "Wait a second, I think I jumped to conclusions. It is wrong to sell my people as slaves and cooperate with stupid Czerka. I'm not going to do that anymore."

Revan could barely hide a smile, "Is there anything else, Chuundar?"

"Yes, I will welcome Zaalbar and Freyyr back into the tribe and give you access to the Lower Shadowlands."

"Are you sure there's nothing else?"

Chuundar looked at his armpit, "I smell like bantha shit and need to take a shower, or my stench will drive everyone away."

Revan cracked up a bit, "Thank you for your help, Chuundar."

He and his party walked away from the shocked Wookiee attendants and towards a lift that was not too far away.

"That was priceless," Canderous couldn't stop laughing.

"I'm not sure manipulating him with your mind was the right thing to do," Carth scolded Revan.

"Better to do that than the bloodbath that would have come later," the Prodigal Knight shrugged.

Mission agreed, "Whatever it takes…"

All of them waited for a guide sent by Chuundar to catch up to them.

Bastila and Sion had to cut their way through a sizable number of creatures attacking them. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally reached a small clearing and flopped down to rest. She looked over at him, "I haven't really been acting the way I'm used to in the past couple of months. Normally, I would have taken command of the expedition and argued with Revan. I would have denied my emotions and focused solely on the mission, not to mention being cold to you. The way you stood up to me, but followed it up with kindness and consideration for me…"

He blushed just a little, but said nothing.

"When you defeated Master Vrook so easily, you shattered my whole belief system. All the things the Order had taught me, that emotional attachments were things to be avoided, to shut out my own feelings, and to put the Jedi above myself… All of it I questioned after what you did," she continued.

"I'm not going to lie to you. My only goal was to get home as quickly as possible, but then I saw you and it changed everything. All the pain and suffering you're going to go through… I became determined to prevent all that," Sion looked at her with deep worry etched in his face.

She held his hand, "What sort of pain and suffering?"

"I can show you if you like…"

"Please…"

The Jedi Master held his apprentice's hands and concentrated on showing her what was to come.

Bastila first saw the Leviathan intercepting the Ebon Hawk and then Saul Karath torturing her along with Revan and Carth.

"No, the pain..." she shuddered as she felt the future torture.

Then their breakout due to one of their party members, and her duel with Malak that ended in her capture.

The next part was the most brutal, as she saw Malak blasting her with Force lightning in the Rakatan temple for a week straight until she gave in to the dark side. "Oh God! Agghhh!" she started convulsing as she felt the searing agony Malak would put her through.

Sion released his hands from her, stopping the vision, "I'm sorry… You shouldn't have suffered any pain…"

Bastila took a deep breath as the pain wore off, "No, I'm glad you showed me. Can you show me the rest?"

"I'm not sure I should…"

"Please, I need to see…"

He nodded and again took her hands in his. She saw the final part of her fall as Malak's apprentice and turning her back on Revan and everyone else. Her eyes opened as the vision ended for good, "So that's what happened to me originally?"

"Yes, and I want to keep it from happening. There is no way to prevent the Hawk from being intercepted, since there is no alternative hyperspace route. However, there is another way…" he explained.

"Which is?"

"My starfighter has a cloaking device built in. The two of us could hide in there and the Sith would be none the wiser. Then we can get out and rescue the others once the boarding party has left."

"What about the others? And Revan? Wouldn't it be selfish for us to avoid capture and leave them?" she protested.

"The others won't be tortured, and we'll rescue Revan and Carth before Saul is able to do much to them," Sion tried to persuade her.

"When you put it that way, I guess it's alright. What about when we run into Malak?" Bastila grew visibly nervous.

"I don't want you going ahead and sacrificing yourself so we can escape. If we're going to battle him, then it will be together. I haven't known you very long, but I love you and I don't want to lose you…" the Jedi Master told her as he looked into her eyes.

The Padawan returned his gaze, "I love you too…" Her lips met his in a gentle kiss. They enjoyed the brief moment until Revan and his group arrived.

"Have you two had sex since we've been gone?" Revan asked jokingly.

Bastila rolled her eyes, "You are such a child, Revan. It amazes me how you ever became a Sith lord."

"You never could take a joke, Bastila. Ice queen that you are…" he aggravated her even more.

"Why are you being so irritating right now?!" she shot back.

Carth coughed, "Uhh, don't we have a Star Map to find?"

"Yes, I let myself get sidetracked by Revan and his stupidity. Let's get started," Bastila tried to calm down.

Revan was tempted to say something back, but he figured he had done enough to annoy the woman he had festering feelings for, "I can sense a faint presence, as if it's trying to call out to me. I don't know exactly where it is, but going west would be a start."

Sion nodded and led the way as the group trekked through the densely wooded forest.

After a lot of searching, they had to make camp as night fell on Kashyyyk. Revan started a fire and everyone ate some of the meat from the predators they had to kill during their search. All of a sudden, a voice interrupted their meal, "All of you must be new to Kashyyyk. I haven't seen any of you before."

Sion turned around and instantly recognized the Jedi Master Jolee Bindo, "No, but I know you, Master Bindo."

"Now how would you know an old coot like me?" Jolee asked him.

"It's a long story," the Chancellor looked back at the others, who nodded as if to say "don't ask".

"Do you mind?" the old Jedi looked over at the food.

"Go on, we have plenty," Revan told him.

"You know where the Star Map is, don't you?" Sion put Jolee on the spot.

"I don't know exactly what that looks like, but I've come across something that may have what you're looking for…" Jolee said in between bites.

Bastila seized the opportunity, "Can you take us there in the morning?"

"I will, but you have to do something for me," the Master responded.

"Which is?" Revan asked. "Let me join you on whatever quest you're on. I'd like to have a little bit of adventure and get off this planet," he replied.

Both Bastila and Revan looked at Sion for approval.

"That's fine with me. The more help we have, the better," Sion agreed.

Bastila slept restlessly through the night, constantly seeing the torture Malak would put her through and her forced conversion to a Sith apprentice. She saw much more than that, however, including Revan redeeming her and their marriage. The birth of her son and Revan's absence in search of the True Sith finished her vision of the future. She opened her eyes with a start and tried to make sense of what she had seen. It was not the life she wanted, to live away from her beloved and know that she fell to the dark side. Still, the alternative of going back to the future with Sion was also daunting. What could she expect? She truly did love the Chancellor, but was that love worth risking everything?

The next morning Jolee took the group to where he thought the Star Map was. Bastila was unusually quiet, giving much thought between Revan and Sion. She had feelings for Revan, a sort of guilty pleasure, but she was worried knowing that he could abandon her. Her love for Sion was also genuine, and he took the time to get to know her and be patient and understanding with her. After an agonizing hour of indecision during the journey, she had made up her mind. The Jedi Princess gently nudged Sion's arm and spoke in a low voice so no one else could hear, "Do you truly love me, Sion? No matter what, will you stay with me?"

Sion looked into her eyes with warmth, "I will do everything with you, Bastila… I love you more than anything."

She felt his honesty and love through the Force. It was all she needed, "Then I will come back with you to Corellia when all this is over. I want a life with you, no matter the risk…"

He smiled and embraced her, "You have no idea how happy that makes me…"

They were very quick to release it, but Revan still managed to see them. The jealousy and anger was slowly building up in him, and he swore he would call Sion out at one point or another.

They reached the location Jolee was talking about without incident. Revan saw an empty platform, "What's this?"

Sion's memory started to click now, "Oh yes, I remember this. Revan, you have to activate the platform and a Mon Calamari hologram should come up. It was a locking device you put in place in your... darker days."

Revan smirked, "This'll be easy." With a slight motion of his hand, he used the Force to activate the switch. After a few minutes of bickering with the hologram, the Jedi Knight at last got the device to open.

The group walked over to the Star Map. " _Two down, two to go. One step closer to home for me_ ," the Chancellor smiled as he thought wistfully of his penthouse and the beautiful planet of Corellia.

" _One step closer to home for us, you mean_ ," Bastila was inside his head.

" _Jesus Christ, you took me by surprise! Don't do that again. You may be my lover, but you're also my apprentice. At least give me a heads-up before you go fishing around in my head..._ " the Jedi Master lightly reprimanded her.

" _Am I invited to this party you two are having?_ " Revan joined the mental conversation after he had taken down the coordinates from the Star Map.

" _You are so insufferable, Revan! Trying to piss me off at every step of the way..._ " the Jedi Princess glared at him.

Sion decided to end this before things got too awkward, "Does anyone have any objections to getting back up into the trees and dealing with Czerka so we can leave this planet in one piece. The sooner the better..."

"Yeah, it's getting kind of creepy down here," Mission looked around nervously, half-expecting some beast to come after them.

"Alright. Bastila and I will take you guys as far as the Aurelia. Then you can take the wood elevator or whatever the hell that thing is that got you down here. The two of us will-" the Jedi Master didn't have a chance to finish his sentence as Revan got in his face.

"It's always you and Bastila! I'm so sick and tired of hearing all this shit that you two are the most important. Look, we all know you're sleeping together. It's the worst-kept secret in the galaxy. What I'm trying to say is that neither of you consider the rest of us as equal partners. For example, why not let two of us take the jet up into the trees. I think we deserve a favor or two," the Prodigal Knight ripped into the couple.

"Can we talk in private for a moment?" Revan's rival for Bastila's affection pointed to a tree several yards away. He sighed and walked over to the tree with Sion.

The Chancellor got straight to the point, "You're pissed with me because you have feelings for Bastila and that she's my lover instead of yours. That's the real issue here, isn't it?" The Jedi's temper started to rise, "When I told you about my attraction to her on Dantooine, I thought you'd empathize. Instead, you turned around and slept with her. You stabbed me in the back, and I was your apprentice at the time! What kind of person does that?!" Sion knew Revan was right, and it pained him to see that. But he didn't regret loving Bastila, "I'm sorry that I hurt you. I truly am... It wasn't my intention to do that..."

"Well, you did, and I'm not going to forget it anytime soon," Revan walked back to the group and left his former master with something to think about.

Once the mental manipulation of the Czerka official on Kashyyyk had been taken care of, Zaalbar said goodbye to his family and joined the rest of the party on-board the Ebon Hawk. With Sion's jet attached to the ship, the aircraft took off from the planet, headed for Manaan.

Bastila and Sion were sitting on a bed in his cabin, trying to figure out Revan's situation. "Looks as if we've got a third wheel now," the Chancellor tried to make light of the situation. Bastila snickered a little, "True... From what you revealed to me of the future as you know it, Revan and I were destined to be together, short-lived as it was. I also understand that he goes missing for 300 years or so?"

"In search of the Sith Emperor Vitiate, who is a very bad guy. Revan ultimately fails to beat him, and the Republic gets into a long war with the True Sith that it does win. Unfortunately, the destruction it causes doesn't help things..." Sion explained.

"So what do we do?" she asked him.

"It would weigh heavily on my conscience if I did nothing, so I have an idea regarding the Star Forge."

"You want to keep it intact to use on the True Sith, whoever they are?"

"That's exactly it. In the right hands, the Forge can do good things."

"Normally, I would think this was a bad idea, but I think it actually has some potential." "We'll play it by ear," he answered.

"I do have a question for you. How exactly are we planning on going back to your time together?" Bastila asked a good question.

"My best guess would be to harness the energy of the Star Forge to create a vortex. I have no idea if that will actually work. It's just a theory..." Sion mused.

"It will be nice to have you gone for good, you lying piece of shit," an angry voice interrupted them, Revan having overheard them.

The normally even-tempered Chancellor finally lost it with Revan, "You know what? Let's do this right now! You want a fight so badly, I'll give you one. I already apologized once, and let's not forget who helped you come to grips with your identity issues, find all the Star Maps so far, and retrained you to beat Malak. Come on, take a shot at me! I can feel the anger in you building up. Let's go..."

Revan obliged him by taking a swing at the Jedi Master. Sion ducked and grabbed him by the arm. A split second later, the Prodigal Knight was lying on the ground with his face against the floor and an arm pressing down on his head. Sion had a grin on his face as a shocked Bastila looked on, "Is that all you got?"

Revan elbowed him in the gut and crawled back to his feet, letting loose with a potent right hook that sent Sion crashing to the ground. The new Jedi Knight looked down at him, "Come on, Sion. There's more where that came from."

The Chancellor got to his feet, nursing a bloody lip and laughing, "Let it go, Revan. Your anger's gotten the better of you. Keep going..."

Deep down, Revan knew Sion was baiting him, but he didn't care. He was falling for Bastila, and the man he had confided in had stolen her from him. Gritting his teeth, he pummelled the older Jedi, knocking him back to the ground.

"Revan, that's enough! Stop!" Bastila screamed at him.

But he didn't want to stop. He sat on top of him, raining down punches on his head.

By now, Sion was bleeding profusely from a cut on his forehead. His face was covered in red, yet he still refused to put up a fight.

Revan began to let up with the ferocity of his punches, the anger starting to subside as his energy waned a bit. He was interrupted by a sudden push that flung him back towards the doorway. He looked to see Bastila conflicted with anguish and fury, her hand outstretched, "Leave, now!"

The former dark lord's emotions turned from anger to desperation as he saw her cradling Sion's head in her arms, doing what she could to staunch the flow of blood.

It had felt so good to beat the man that had stolen the woman he loved away from him, but he had fallen right into a trap. By bloodying Sion, Revan had driven Bastila even closer to him. He tried to repair the damage he had done, "Bastila, I-I'm sorry... I wasn't trying to kill him."

She glared at him, "I said to leave! You've already done enough damage!"

Revan slowly stepped away and out of sight, with the bloodied Sion barely concealing a smirk.

Bastila wiped away the blood from his face and concentrated on healing the gash on his forehead. She shook her head as she worked, "I know what you did. Allowing him to beat the tar out of you... You wanted to squelch any chance of him taking me from you."

Sion tried to regain his wits about him, as Revan's attack had done more damage than he thought it would. Between breaths, he spoke, "That was part of the reason, but I also wanted him to get the anger out of his system. It was only a matter of time before we came to blows. Might as well get it out of the way sooner than later."

"Ah yes, love over a woman driving men to madness. A story older than the Republic itself. Could you two at least reach a detente? It would be helpful to face Malak on a united front," the Jedi Princess remarked dryly.

"I can make that happen. Tell me something, though," the Chancellor looked to his significant other with a grin, "Did my little ploy work?"

His apprentice rolled her eyes before she answered, "Maybe... You can be a manipulative person when you need to be, I guess."

He sighed, "I don't lead the Republic just based on the strength of my morals, if that's what you're getting at. If that were the case, my job would be a hell of a lot easier. The Senate back home is not too corrupt, but I do what I have to for the good of the people. There are times where I have to arrest people based on suspicious alone, with not enough evidence to convict them on corruption charges," Sion, for the first time since coming to the Old Republic, looked truly downcast as he spoke, "I hate it... Incarcerating senators without trial. There's not many, maybe 20 or 30 out of 700, but their corrupt influence cannot be allowed to spread..."

Bastila was shocked to hear this, "You imprison people without trial?"

"Only senators, and just those who I suspect of corruption. So far, every one of them that I've had arrested have been found to be corrupt. Whether it be taking kickbacks, extortion, money laundering, drug dealing, or other serious crimes. If there's one thing I've learned, the only effective way to deal with corruption is to root it out as it pops up. Let it go too long, and it spreads like a festering weed..." the Chancellor defended his actions.

"What do you do with them once you determine the truth?" the Jedi Princess dreaded to hear the answer.

"I trash them in the media until their reputations are ruined, and then exile them back to their home systems to live as recluses."

"That's it?"

"You were expecting me to kill them? I know we haven't been together for a terribly long time, Bastila, but do you really think I would resort to that?" Sion asked her.

Bastila shook her head, "No, it's not that. It's just that I thought they would be imprisoned indefinitely. The fact that you let them go tells me you still manage to walk in the light. How one can do that as a politician puzzles me."

At this point, she had healed his wound with the Force and completely wiped off the blood from his face. She let go as he removed himself from her grasp and raised his head to speak at eye level, "Thank you for that. I underestimated Revan's ability to inflict physical damage," he turned his attention to her question, "Most politicians are decent people, but there are a lot of bad ones that sadly give the good ones a bad name. I'm doing my best to change that back home on Corellia. It seems to be working, for now..."

"You're welcome in regards to the healing. As for your other point, can I ask how you know it's working?" the female Jedi inquired as she examined her medical treatment on his head.

"Well, I was elected to a five year term with around 90% of the popular vote. And, assuming I make it back to my own time, I'm up for re-election next year. Considering my approval rating has stayed constant at 80-85%, I must be doing something right. Every system I go to treats me with the utmost dignity and respect, the people and their elected representatives." Sion allowed a smile to crease his face, "Ruling through love is much better than fear. That's why the Sith never have power for very long."

"Interesting... I'll have to look at this in more detail once we get back to your time. "I've never been to Corellia. What's it like?" an interested Bastila asked.

"Eternal beauty. The rolling emerald hills outside the twinkling lights of Coronet. Or the blue oceans teeming with life along the sandy beaches. I've lived there all my life, and it's still astounding to me after all these years," he said in a trance-like manner.

"We'll get there. And we can go to Talravin as well. I haven't been home in ages," she mused.

The Ebon Hawk finally reached Manaan after a few days. In the planning discussions before the ship landed, Sion had made it painfully clear that he had no patience for the Selkath "bullshit", as he called it, of neutrality between Sith and the Republic. All he cared about was diving down to Hrakert Station, neutralizing the firaxin shark blocking the Star Map, and retrieving the coordinates. Recalling his knowledge of history at this time, he had no desire to deal with the secretive negotiations between the Republic and Selkath regarding kolto.

Revan, his dislike of Sion notwithstanding, agreed completely with the Chancellor's position. He wanted to end the war and focus on a possible future with Bastila as soon as possible. If that meant leaving the past behind and going far into the future, so be it. He loved her and knew she had deep feelings for him.

Carth, Jolee, Mission, and Zaalbar also subscribed to the discussed viewpoint. Onasi, drawing on his knowledge of and experience with the Republic military, drew up a plan for stealing a Republic submersible that could take them down to Hrakert Station. From there, they could improvise in dealing with the firaxin shark and obtaining the Star Map.

Bastila wasn't really focused during the talks. Something was gnawing at her from a distance. She faintly sensed a dark cloud coming from beneath the waves of Manaan. It was a tangled web of conflict and deception, but the source of it remained unclear to her. The uncomortable feeling that she got was that the energy was directly strongly at Sion, but also significantly to her and Revan also.

Her lover noticed this during the talks. After the talks were over, Sion took her by the right hand, concern etched on his countenance, "What wrong, Bas? Something's got you worried."

She grimaced as she tried to explain the odd sense of darkness she felt, "There's some presence underwater beneath Ahto City. It's dark, but there doesn't seem to be a sense of overwhelming malice. It feels angry, almost desperate to reach out to someone. It's definitely sentient. It's where most of the aura is directed at that concerns me..."

He saw that Bastila's gaze was solely focused on him, "You think this energy is focused mainly on me? That doesn't make any sense. No one outside of our party knows who I am or when and where I come from," the Chancellor was alarmed at her information, "I don't sense any dark side aura coming from Manaan other than the Sith contingent there vying for control of the bacta."

At this point, Revan, who had not left the briefing room since the talks ended, interceded, "I can sense it too. Some parts of it are directed at Bastila and I, but most of it is against you. I'm only guessing at this, but it may be a call for help."

Sion tried in vain to feel the dark Force presence reaching out to him, but he couldn't penetrate the thick cloud that was blocking him from sensing the same thing Revan and Bastila could. He was widely considered as the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy back home, on par or perhaps even slightly more so than Revan, but whoever was generating this Force aura was potent enough to match Force powers with him. He cursed as he failed in his efforts to identify the Force signature, "Damn, they're blocking my effort to detect them. I've never come across darkness this powerful before. Not even Darth Krayt was this potent in the Force..." Sion referenced the leader of the One Sith he had killed to help end the war between the pro-Republic forces he had led and the First Order that had allied with the One Sith.

Revan thought a bit on the situation, silently happy to see his rival get frustrated for once, "It's clear to me that whatever, whoever this is, wants to toy with you. They know who you are for some reason. The question is why."


	4. Darth Vitellus

Carth Onasi interrupted their discussion, "We just received clearance to land in Ahto City. I'm piloting the Hawk down to the surface."

Bastila nodded, "Thank you, Carth." After the pilot left for the cockpit, the female Jedi gave her own guess, "Is it possible that Malak is behind this in some way?"

"I doubt it. Malak was always more head-on than subtle. This type of manipulation isn't his style. I haven't regained all of my memories yet, but I've recovered enough to know that much," Revan dismissed the idea.

"There's one way to find out. Once we arrive in Ahto City, I think it goes without saying that we will have to be rather watchful and alert. I don't want to prolong our stay here any more than necessary," Sion stared out the viewport as the Ebon Hawk travelled through Manaan's atmosphere, en route for Ahto City.

\- Meanwhile, in the Ahto City High Court, Chief Justice Shelkar was apprised of the Ebon Hawk's arrival. He walked over to a holoprojector and punched in a contact. A hologram image appeared of a figure draped entirely in armor with a long cape on the back. It was wearing a helmet and mask eerily reminiscent of Darth Vader. The figure spoke with a mechanical voice that was also similar to Vader, but a bit higher in pitch, "Shelkar, I trust you have a good reason for interrupting my meditation?"

The Selkath shuddered at the coldness he felt radiating from the figure's aura, "Yes, Lord Vitellus. The ship you told us to watch for, the Ebon Hawk, has just entered our atmosphere. Shall we bring the man you seek directly to you?"

The Sith lord thought for a moment on the question, "That would not be a good idea. Sion does not like being forced into anything. He could easily overwhelm any security force you throw at him, especially with his companions aiding him. No, have your soldiers confiscate the submersible the Republic is using to try to smuggle out kolto and let his party take it down to Hrakert Station. I will introduce myself to him there."

"As you wish, Lord Vitellus. I will see to it that they make it down to you," Shelkar said reluctantly.

He was about to cut off the transmission when Vitellus spoke up, "And Justice Shelkar, don't even think about betraying me. I control the kolto, hence I control you and your High Court. Not to mention I have all the dirt I need on some of your fellow judges', shall we say, questionable ethics. Cross me and I vaporize your kolto supply with the proton charges I planted in the Hrakert Valley. Manaan is mine now, whether you like it or not."

With that, the transmission was cut off before Shelkar could even react. As much as he hated to do the bidding of the Sith lord, Darth Vitellus had him in an unbreakable bind. He went to alert the security force so they could confiscate the submersible and set up the Ebon Hawk's passengers to descend into Hrakert Rift.

Once Carth landed in Ahto City and opened the exit ramp, the party decided on who would go and who would stay with the ship. Sion, Bastila, Revan, and Carth would go while Jolee, Mission, and Zaalbar stayed with the Ebon Hawk. Surprisingly, no docking officer came to greet them or ask for a landing fee. That fact was not lost on Sion, "Something's off here. No Selkath coming to remind us of their neutrality bullshit or to charge a docking fee. Whatever this Sith presence is, it must have something on the Selkath."

"It wants us to go directly to it. If he or she has control over the Selkath government, then that would explain the lack of security here. This is all leading to a confrontation with you vs whoever the Sith is," the former Dark Lord looked squarely at the Chancellor.

Bastila's concern was evident as she pondered how the situation could turn out, "The question is whether this meeting will be hostile or peaceful. If this signature is as powerful as I think it is, it could get really nasty... Yet somehow I don't see it turning out that way."

"Look, I know you three are concerned with this Sith presence that's probably down in Hrakert Station, but we need to focus on getting down there first. I know the Republic commander here, Roland Wann. He might be able to help us with a submersible," Carth led the way to the Republic embassy deep in the heart of Ahto City.

Meanwhile down in Hrakert Station, Darth Vitellus paced in the room that served as headquarters for the Sith Lord. Since the time the mysterious Sith had come to Manaan and used cunning, blackmail, and some engineering skill to bend the Selkath government to its will, the Station had been enlarged and its interior made more comfortable and liveable.

Vitellus thought about the showdown with Sion Visar, knowing that everything that had been planned for two years had been for this moment. Wanting some space to think and to be a bit less stuffy, the Sith lord slowly removed the helmet and mask. Long brown hair draped down, about a third of the way down the back. The face was one of natural beauty; rosy cheeks, light red lips, and supple skin. There was no scarring or distorted eye color typically associated with being a Sith lord. Hazel eyes looked into the small mirror on the wall as a woman of twenty-eight years smiled, "Thank the Force you have come at last, Sion. Now I can finally go home..."

"This is weird," Carth was lost for words as the party walked through the empty Republic embassy, "First the docking bay and now this. Someone wants us to walk right into a trap..."

Sion was quiet the entire time. He was focused on breaking the dark side cloud the Sith lord was blocking him with. He kept hammering at the barrier and managed to poke some holes in it. The flanks of the barrier began to give way under the onslaught of his Force aura, but the center continued to hold. Realizing he couldn't break the center, Sion settled for penetrating the flanks and gleaning what he could from that. He wasn't able to find out a lot, but just enough to pick up a vital clue.

The presence he felt was oddly familiar to him. Why he couldn't explain. The energy he felt did not seem to be evil to him, only a dark persona adopted out of necessity to gain his attention. Still, Sion couldn't break through to find out the person's identity. The Force user was equal to him. Satisfied that he gained all the information he could and not wanting to expend more energy in a stalemate, the Chancellor broke his concentration and focused on the empty Republic embassy.

"Were you able to find out anything?" Bastila looked over at him, her hand clasped in his, "I could sense your efforts to get through the cloud."

Sion nodded, "I was. The person I felt is someone who knows me... Someone who is not truly a Sith lord, but took on that mantle to get my attention. A being from my own time."

"Someone who also got sent back 4,000 years? Why would that have happened to someone else?"

"I have no idea. Maybe hyperspace travel is more risky than I thought."

"Or perhaps the Force is doing this on purpose. Think hard about this, Sion. Who do you know personally that would benefit from reuniting with you? Perhaps a person you haven't always gotten along with?"

"You're assuming an awful lot here, Bastila."

"Now is not the time for questioning my guessing game. We're onto something here. Think..." Bastila's skilled insight into the force pressured him.

The Jedi Master thought long and hard as they continued walking through the embassy, only half-paying attention as Carth kept a watchful eye while Revan was absorbed in the drama.

Many images went through Sion's mind, from his upbringing on Corellia with his sister and Jedi parents, to the hard but fair training they had put him and his sister through while maintaining a loving family environment. The young children were both gifted in the Force, their midichlorians being at elevated levels. Life on Corellia had been pleasant for twelve years of their lives, until the New Republic that had been established by the Rebel Alliance after Palpatine's death began to give way.

The First Order had allied with Sith adherents to the dark side, known as the One Sith, to challenge the Republic. They waged war in a long and drawn-out guerilla campaign. Eventually, the fighting had reached Corellia, when the Sith raided the planet to assassinate high officials and cause havoc in the system. The leader of the One Sith, Darth Krayt, had murdered Sion's parents right in front of him and his sister after breaking into their home. Eventually, the Corellian Defense Force rallied and drove the Sith raiders off, but the damage had been severe.

Several political figures were assassinated, which has parents had been. They were always stressing that Jedi should enter into politics to make a greater difference on a broader scale. As members of the Corellian Prime Minister's Council, they had done so for the better. They had instilled a sense of humility with a measure of practicality to keep their children grounded and functioning well as Jedi Padawans and potential political candidates when they were to become adults. Their deaths had shattered the siblings' lives, emotionally and physically. The grief-stricken children had been taken in by relatives, but were separated for their own safety. Sion stayed in Corellia with his maternal aunt and uncle, while his sister went to live on Naboo with her paternal counterparts. Both children were vehemently opposed to being separated, but their relatives felt their high Force sensitivities made them targets for the Sith and that separation would be best.

While Sion kept revenge against Krayt foremost in his mind and continued training as a Jedi intensely under a close family friend and master named Corran Horn, vowing to kill the Sith lord if he got the chance, his sister focused more on trying to oppress her abilities. She felt that it was necessary to avoid being targeted by the enemy, and instead decided to immerse herself in Nubian politics to help others and maintain peace. By the time she was 16, she was elected Queen of Naboo and reigned for eight years and two terms. Her noble acts of helping the poor and resolving conflicts peacefully endeared her to her people, so much so that they altered their constitution so that she could serve as many elected terms as the people would have her. She didn't want to break the tradition of serving only two terms, but she decided to test whether the people loved her as much as they said by running for a third term. They elected her again by a huge margin of victory. Feeling that she couldn't disappoint their wishes, she agreed to stay on as monarch for another term.

Unfortunately, the fighting between the Republic and the First Order and One Sith had escalated into a full-scale conventional war. Most of the conflict took place in the Core and Mid-Rim, with Coruscant being hardest hit. The capital was overrun by the enemy forces, with the Chancellor and most of the Senate killed. With the government of the Republic effectively gone, the First Order turned more to consolidating their power while the Sith directly assaulted the neighboring Core worlds. They succeeded in conquering most of the Core with ease, with Corellia being the last objective. However, their grand assault on the planet was bloodily repulsed by a revamped Corellian fleet and a powerful and well-trained standing army.

The combined forces were under Sion's command. In the twelve years since his parents' death, he had steadily risen to become one of the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy. His intense desire to fulfill his parents' wishes and to kill Krayt drove him in large part to do this. The political aspect of his life centered around service in Corellia's military as a starfighter pilot. His combat experience and shrewd political mindset allowed him to regain his family's seat on the Prime Minister's Council. The ideas he came up with played a role in strengthening the vaunted Corellian fleet to become a regional power and molding the Defense Force into a large standing army. Through it all, Sion never let corruption sway him and maintained the moral code and humility his parents had stressed.

When the enemy forces captured Coruscant, the Prime Minister realized it was only a matter of time before Corellia came under attack. He asked Visar to resign his position and take up overall command of the armed forces. The newly minted Jedi Master at the young age of 24, who some felt that Corran Horn had bestowed the rank on prematurely, agreed to take command. He seasoned the fleet and army by giving the First Order a taste of its own medicine, disrupting their supply lines with effective guerilla warfare. This much-needed combat experience hardened Corellia's forces so that they were ready when the One Sith attacked.

The bloody fighting on and around Corellia stunned the rest of the galaxy with the utter savagery of it. When the smoke finally cleared after two weeks of hard fighting, nearly a quarter of Coronet had been destroyed. The Corellians lost many soldiers and about a fifth of their fleet, but the Sith ranks had fared far worse, losing nearly their entire invading army and two-thirds of their fleet. The victory blunted the momentum of the First Order and One Sith, marking a true turning point in the war and bringing Sion name recognition in the rest of the galaxy. However, capitalizing on the victory would be problematic...

The Chancellor's eyes seemed to turn a deeper shade of blue than normal as the revelation of who the Sith lord was hit him with full force. All the memories, it made sense, the Force screaming at him with renewed clarity. He slowly mouthed the words, "Padme..."

Padme Naberrie Visar's eyes blinked open from her meditation as she realized that her brother had found out who Darth Vitellus really was. She had considered changing her last name to Amidala to match the throne name she had carried as Queen of Naboo, but decided to keep it. She had ended up so far in the past due to an accident involving her royal starship.

It had all started when news over the Battle of Corellia was reported over the Holonet. Padme had tensed when she heard about it, knowing that her brother was on that planet. What truly surprised her was hearing his name as the commanding Admiral of the Corellian fleet and army. What scattered footage there was of the battle showed him in some parts fighting hand-to-hand with Sith warriors. She could see how potent he was as a Jedi Master, combining precision skill with a brutal fighting style. What made him dangerous was relying on different tactics when the situation arose. If brute force didn't work, then a more cunning strategy would suffice. It made her shudder at the stark contrast between her peaceful nature and constant battle to hide her own Force Sensitivity and talent with a lightsaber, and her brother's full embrace of their family's Jedi lineage.

With the One Sith effectively destroyed as a fighting force after Corellia, many worlds of the Mid Rim responded to Sion Visar's entreaties for help in capitalizing on the victory. Renewing the guerilla campaign against the First Order, the Corellian forces were joined by soldiers, pilots, and even politicians from worlds like Bothawui, Onderon, Kuat, and numerous other systems. Over the next year, the combined forces steadily drove back the First Order tide from the Core. As their success grew, the whole of the Mid Rim flocked to Sion's aid with some worlds from the Outer Rim even joining. Queen Amidala managed to keep Naboo neutral, despite the growing sympathies among the people of Naboo for the pro-Republic forces. Padme wanted to help Sion, but she also didn't want the fighting to spread and lay waste to her adopted homeworld.

The siblings had been negotiating through intermediaries for Naboo to come in fully on the allied side. The Queen had agreed to a secretive compromise in which Naboo would trade only with the allies, but held back from declaring war on the First Order. Padme Visar watched the broadcasts of the conflict on the Holonet as the Corellian-led force finally recaptured Coruscant and wiped out the First Order for good. She had heard rumors that Sion had gotten revenge for their parents by killing Darth Krayt in a terrible fight inside the old Jedi Temple...

Thinking back to her more immediate surroundings, Lord Vitellus, as she was known to the Selkath, remembered the euphoria and relief with the final victory at Coruscant, the re-establishment of the Republic with a new Supreme Chancellor being elected for the first time in history by a galaxy-wide popular vote, her brother's election as the new Chancellor, and the two finally agreeing to reunite face-to-face on the new Republic capital of Corellia. She was on her way as an honored guest of the Chancellor aboard the royal starship when an accident occurred. One of the supporting vessels carrying Nubian government officials collided with her starship, breaking through the durasteel side of the ship separating the Queen's quarters from space.

Padme struggled to breathe as she was thrown into the vacuum of space. Having no choice but to call on the Force to help her, she managed to float through space for a little bit before blacking out. Thinking she had died, Padme had opened her eyes to find that she was very much alive. Having reopened herself fully to the Force for the first time since childhood, the idea dawned on her very quickly that the living entity had saved her life by transporting her back in time to more than 4,000 years in the past. Her connection to the life energy told her as much, along with the fact that she kept hearing the names of Revan and Malak. Being the educated monarch she was, it took her little effort to piece together that she was in the time of the Jedi Civil War.

Padme had first woken up with a bubble of air flowing through her throat. Coughing and gagging, she found herself staring up at a Selkath dressed in white. The creature, a doctor, informed her in Basic that she had been in a coma for some time, almost five months. She was found by Manaan's security forces in the streets, half brain-dead due to lack of oxygen. They had been feeding her IV fluids and kept her breathing on a ventilator in the hopes that she might wake up. It was seemingly a miracle that the Queen of Naboo had managed to regain full cognitive functioning after being without oxygen to the brain for an extended period of time, yet her powerful reconnection with the Force had helped her recover. Indeed, it was the only thing that saved her life.

After recovering her physical strength, Padme had used the two years she was stuck on Manaan to try and figure out how to get back to the present. Having nothing but time on her hands, she did odd jobs to get by and provide quarters for herself. She spent much of her time developing and honing her Force abilities. Despite her peaceful nature, she was well-skilled in using vibroblades for self-defense. Even living on Naboo, she had always been practicing self-defense techniques, knowing that war might eventually come to the peaceful world.

Hoping against hope that the Force would see fit to bring her brother into the past to help her, she knew she had to build up her reputation in order to gain power and the means for resources to possibly get back to the present on her own. She made a careful plan to infiltrate the Sith embassy to steal armor and a lightsaber, knowing full well the neutrality laws the Selkath had in effect and the death penalty she faced if caught. It didn't matter, as Padme expertly snuck into the Sith facility using her powerful Force aura to disguise herself. Once inside, she used the control console to deactivate the surveillance feeds and searched high and low for useful material. It didn't take her long to find a lightsaber that a careless Sith apprentice had left in a utility container. Finding armor, at least the components she wanted, proved to be more difficult. She managed to find various parts for the body and head, including a mask. The armor would be difficult to carry without being detected, but she had a plan for that as well.

Padme made her way out of the Sith embassy in plain sight in a crowd of people. She had purposely activated an evacuation alarm. With the Sith soldiers, apprentices, and employees rushing out of the embassy, the Queen blended in with the group. Wearing black robes and a hood over her head, no one gave her a second thought in the tumult. Once outside, she quietly slipped away to her apartment.

The Selkath and Sith launched separate investigations into who had infiltrated the embassy. They found evidence of a stolen lightsaber, some armor, and surveillance tampering, but no evidence of who the suspect was. Padme was in the clear, no one even suspecting her. She laid low for a while, using some tools she had purchased to work on the armor. The work was grueling and long, but gradually the black armor took shape. It was all-encompassing, covering the entire body. It was divided into three parts, one covering the legs, another the torso, and the third piece for the upper half of the body. They were easy to take on and off, as well as connecting seamlessly. The mask she forged was modeled after Darth Vader's. Padme considered him a repugnant figure in history, but the armor and mask she based on his design would serve the purpose of intimidation she needed to gain power over the Selkath.

With careful planning and stealth, she had gained knowledge of the more unsavory facts the Selkath justices on the High Court had meant to keep hidden. Padme was able to use blackmail effectively to gain control over the Manaan government, having their military plant proton bombs on the supplies of kolto and setting her up in a nice office in Hrakert Station. After two years, the Queen was once again at the peak of her Jedi skills and in de facto control of Manaan. All that remained was to reunite with her brother and find a way to return to the present.

By this time, Sion, Bastila, Carth, and Revan had boarded the abandoned Republic submersible and were descending down into Hrakert Rift. The Jedi Princess could see her boyfriend's face almost glued to one of the portholes, clearly troubled by what he was walking into. She put a hand on his left shoulder, "You know who it is down there. Do you want to talk about it?"

He kept his eyes on the window as he spoke, "It's my sister, Padme. She wants me to find her, I imagine to take her home in our own time. Apparently this Sith persona is an act, designed to gain power in Manaan and get my attention. She's been here a long time," Sion was absorbing the information from his sister's psyche that she allowed him to have, "Two years waiting for me..."

Before Bastila could ask him to elaborate, Carth alerted them that the ship was docking, "We're at the landing bay. We should have our weapons ready just in case."

"No... There's only one person down here, and she's not going to attack us. I think we'll be okay," the Chancellor remarked softly.

"And how do you figure that?" Revan asked him.

"She's family, the only family I have," Sion walked slowly to the hatch and opened it, going through and emerging inside Hrakert Station.

Revan, Bastila, and Carth gingerly followed him out of the sub and down the long corridor, passing dozens of doors. The Jedi Grandmaster stopped in front of a large durasteel door at the end of the corridor. He held his hand to the door, entering back into the Force meld with his sister.

Padme Visar, fully armored and masked, could feel her brother reaching out to her. She quietly deactivated the lock on the door with a wave of her hand, the two sides parting ways to reveal Sion and his comrades. Taking a deep breath, she spoke, her voice projected in a disembodied tone similar to Vader, "It's been too long..."

Before they knew what hit them, Revan, Carth, and Bastila were frozen in stasis as the female Sith lord used her awesome command of the Force. Even the powerful Revan couldn't do much when caught by surprise.

Sion quickly unfroze Bastila before walking up close to his sister, "She's my significant other, so I'm not leaving her frozen. Kind of a hostile greeting, don't you think," a twinge of a smirk crossing his face.

Padme smiled underneath her mask, "Just a little humor, you know?"

With that, the two embraced in a hug, all the pent-up emotions of being apart for so long evaporating in an instant. Bastila watched as the siblings reunited, Padme taking her masked helmet off to reveal the long brunette hair going down her back.

Revan, struggling to break free of the stasis and had nearly done so, was momentarily halted when he looked upon her face as she took off the helmet. He was instantly attracted to her, her physical beauty combined with the cunning she displayed in adopting her Sith persona appealed to him.

When Padme and Sion had broken their embrace, she caught Revan eyeing her. Shaking her head with a snicker, she unfroze him and smiled, "Hello, Revan."

The Jedi Knight walked to within a couple feet of her, "You know who I am... How so, and why did you freeze us?"

"Two very simple reasons. One, I wanted Sion and I to have a moment without interference, and I found it amusing," Padme grinned, "Let me introduce myself, I am Darth Vitellus, or Padme Visar. Call me by whichever name you choose."

"Yes, Sion felt a strong bond with you. Are you his sister?" Revan asked.

"An astute observation," her voice dripping with sarcasm, "That would explain why I would apparently embrace someone 4,000 years in the past, wouldn't it?"

"Are you this cold to everyone you meet?" he retorted, playing along with her dry wit.

"Oh, I like him," Padme looked at Sion, "He's not afraid to talk back and I can tell he has a similar sense of humor to my own. This could be fun..."

Revan, sensing an opportunity, came closer to her, "Are you flirting with me?"

Darth Vitellus turned her back to him and retrieved a black sphere from her desk. She tossed it up in the air and caught it, then walked around, tossing and catching it some more, "Perhaps. Time will tell. You see this ball I'm playing around with? I built it myself. It's a replica of the Star Map I found near a kolto tank the Republic was using. Here, catch."

He caught the sphere, "How do I open it?"

She winked at him, "That's the fun part. Since I made it, only I can open it. I will do so, but only in exchange for something."

"How do we even know that the coordinates in there are accurate? You could have fabricated it," Bastila piped up, not exactly content that Padme had frozen her earlier.

Padme put a hand on Bastila's shoulder, "Because I want to go home. I've been on this rock for two years in a time I don't belong in. There's no alcohol on this planet either."

The Jedi Princess watched as Vitellus put her Sith helmet back on, the Darth Vader-like voice returning, "I already went scuba-diving to find the actual Star Map. I memorized the coordinates and built it into that sphere you see Revan holding. I get that you have no reason to trust me, but I wouldn't lie about something like this."

"Then what is it that you're asking us for in exchange?" Revan held the black object securely.

"How many Star Maps do you have left to find?" she asked him.

"Just one on Korriban. We're close to getting to the Star Forge," he responded quickly.

Lord Vitellus put a gloved hand to her chin, "Ah, so you have made it pretty far. If my memory of my history studies serves me well, then you're going to find yourself interdicted by Malak's flagship, the Leviathan. We will need to work on a plan to counter this, which means some more time down here."

Revan was surprised to hear this, "What are you talking about? Malak has the hyperspace route to Korriban blocked off?"

"Something like that, but we can focus on that in a little while. The price for my opening that sphere is a duel," she turned around to face her brother, "A practice one of course, with lightsabers set to stun. I've been by myself for two years and brushing up on my skill that I've kept up over the years I ruled Naboo. Will you indulge me with 15 minutes of your time?"

Sion nodded, "Sure, but this isn't exactly the ideal setting. It's too narrow."

"You've never done house to house fighting before?" Padme asked him.

"Of course I did. I just wish it was more open," he replied.

"I can duel you. Sion's taken me on as his apprentice. I could use the swordwork," Bastila volunteered.

"In due time, Bastila. Once we get back to the future, I will be happy to fight you. You have an excellent teacher in Sion. He is without question the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, hence why he's the Grandmaster of the Order," his sister smiled, "I just want to see if I can beat him. After all, who knows him better than me?"

"That's fair. Guess I'll stand back then," the apprentice agreed.

"What about him?" Sion pointed to Carth, who was still frozen in stasis.  
"Don't unfreeze him. At least not yet. He'll just bitch and moan about wasting time," Revan spoke with some vitriol.

"I'll wipe his memory of the time spent down here so he doesn't have any issues," she agreed and turned back to Sion, "Shall we?"

"Alright," he walked into the corridor, "Ready?"

She followed him out as Bastila and Revan stood in the doorway. "Very much so," she ignited her black lightsaber and set it to stun.

He followed suit with his green one, "Bring it."

Padme wasted little time by aiming a horizontal stroke at him, which he blocked with ease before unleashing a flurry of strikes aimed at her shoulder. She deflected these with finesse and attempted an upward slash that met his emerald blade. Sion was locked in a stalemate with both blades pressing on each other. He backed away a few steps to break the impasse. His sister took advantage of the small retreat to renew her attack, combining vertical and horizontal attacks to force him back.

Bastila was amazed to see just how good Padme was, "I don't think I've ever seen blade skill like that. Not even the Jedi Council members on Coruscant are that good."

Revan remained silent, observing the duel and noting different points he could incorporate into his own style.

Vitellus continued her attack, forcing Sion about halfway down the long corridor. "Not so bad, huh, brother?" she smirked as she kept up her flurries.

Chancellor Visar laughed softly as he weathered the assault, "Come on, Padme. The last thing I would do is underestimate you. The mask adds a nice touch, though," he stopped retreating and counter-attacked with powerful overhand strikes aimed at her left side.

She was caught slightly off-guard by his regaining the offensive and found herself falling back. It wasn't very far before she stood her ground and stubbornly resisted his fierce strikes, "Glad you like the mask. I think I'll keep this Sith armor once we get back to our own time. It does look good on me."

"I've caught Revan staring at your butt a few times. I tend to think he agrees that the suit looks great on you," he switched his style of attack to a slower, more deliberate approach, keeping a defensive stance while aiming strikes at her shoulder and waist areas.

His sister snickered, "I will admit that I find myself somewhat attracted to him. His looks don't hurt, and I can sense cunning and a sense of snarky humor, much like myself. Maybe there's something there..."

"Yeah, he doesn't seem too enthused with this time. He might be open to coming back to the present with us. Bastila is," her brother said, "How much time left on the duel?"

"About five minutes left," Padme replied as she blocked his attacks on her upper body and countered at his head, "So you and Bastila are that serious?"

Sion continued to probe for any weaknesses as he kept up the banter with Padme, "You bet. I have to figure out how best to keep her from falling into Malak's hands once we get intercepted by the Leviathan."

"I have an idea. Why don't we just kill Malak on the Leviathan, take control of the ship, and go to the Star Forge? It would allow us to bypass Korriban and create a vortex to our time without the Republic fleet bearing down on us," Vitellus suggested a crazy plan.

The Jedi Grandmaster was so dumbfounded by the idea that he let his guard down for a moment. Padme shoved him against the wall as she rained down strikes aimed at his chest. Barely able to deflect them, he tried a new strategy. Throwing caution to the wind, he kicked her in the stomach, which broke her momentum a little bit. Sion went all-out, tapping into his Force powers to unleash a ferocious assault that he could keep up for several minutes until he would need to ease off on it.

This time it was Padme's turn to be surprised as she was put back on the defensive. The kick to the gut had pissed her off, though, and she used that anger to respond with her own Force-aided counter-attack. Soon both combatants were locked in an intense free-for-all as precision went out the window.

"Whoa, they're just going at each other now. I've never seen a duel like this..." Bastila was amazed as she observed the fight.

"I've done that before. It was before I got my memory wiped, against you and the strike team that was sent to capture me," Revan said wistfully, "I was at the peak of my powers, as good as those two are."

"So you would have killed me if it hadn't been for Malak betraying you?" the Jedi Princess asked in horror.

"No. I never committed any war crimes while I was the Dark Lord. You know this, Bastila. I had a very good reason for attempting to take over the Republic..." the Prodigal Knight mused.

"And why was that?" she pressed him.

"I'll tell you once we're clear of all this. Now's not the time. Maybe once we're through that vortex on the Star Forge," he hinted.

"Wait, what?!" Bastila was stunned, "You're going with us?!"

Revan smiled, "Yes, at first it was only a thought. But after some time, I've decided to do it. I'm tired of dealing with all the conflict. I just want to be able to enjoy some peace, and it sounds like 4,000 years in the future might do that if Sion's word is to be trusted," he glanced at Padme down the corridor, "That, and I have a more personal reason..."

"You really like her, huh? Only after just meeting her for about twenty minutes?" she raised a brow.

He laughed, "How long did it take you and Sion to fall for each other again?"

"Hey, it took us several hours, not 20 minutes. Have some perspective, dude," Bastila grinned.

"My ears must be playing tricks on me. Did you just use the word 'dude'?" Revan was in a bit of disbelief.

She feigned indignation, "What? Why is that so hard to believe?"

"It doesn't seem to fit your personality, but then again, you have loosened up a bit ever since you and Sion started bumping uglies," he replied with a brutal dose of humor.

"Wouldn't you like to know? He's seen a side of me you could only dream of," Bastila turned the tables on him, not showing any irritation at all.

"I will admit I wanted you, to be sure. I'm still annoyed with Sion for sleeping with you knowing my feelings for you. Not as much as I was, and my attraction to you has waned somewhat with Padme in the picture," Revan acknowledged the point.

The Jedi Princess gave him a small smile, "If we survive all this, I hope you and Padme go into a relationship and are happy. As happy as Sion and I are. You deserve that, Revan."

Before Revan could respond, he was interrupted by what sounded like an argument between the dueling siblings in the corridor.

"How in the hell could we take over the Leviathan with less than 10 people?! There has to be hundreds, maybe thousands, of Sith soldiers and some dark Jedi on that ship. We wouldn't stand a chance," Sion thought his sister's idea was lunacy as the two of them dueled up and down the corridor with the utmost ferocity, neither giving an inch.

"With the proper planning and stealth, we can take it over, at least long enough to get the coordinates to the Star Forge from the Leviathan's navicomputer. Revan should be able to hack into it as long as his memories have returned to him," Padme detailed more of her plan in the midst of their fight, "Looks like the 15 minutes are up."

The two of them had their blades locked in a stalemate, having fought to a draw. The Queen of Naboo backed up a few steps and deactivated her black saber while the Chancellor leaned back against the wall and extinguished his green blade. He thought for a moment on her plan before giving her a slight bow to acknowledge the performance of his opponent, "I know some of his memories have come back, but I'm not sure if that includes the Leviathan."

She reciprocated the bow with one of her own, "Why don't we ask him?"

"Are they bowing to each other? Must be a code of honor," Bastila observed as the siblings walked back down the corridor.

Revan tossed the black ball up a bit and caught it as Padme came closer, "Now that you've had your little duel, can you unlock this thing so I can take down the coordinates?"

The sound of Darth Vitellus' voice still unnerved Bastila, flinching as she heard it, "I've given it some thought, and I'm not going to open it."

His eyes narrowed, "Why not? Are you saying you're not going to help us?"

A chilling laugh echoed through the corridor as she and her brother re-entered the room, "Oh come on, Revan. Don't be so melodramatic. Of course I'm going to help you. Just not in the way you think."

Bastila looked to Sion with concern. The Chancellor surprised her with a smile as he spoke, "What my sister is saying is that we're going to download the coordinates of the Star Forge from the Leviathan. We can skip Korriban and go directly to the Star Forge itself."

"Yes, you mentioned that the Leviathan would intercept us in hyperspace," the former Dark Lord focused his gaze on Vitellus, "Assuming the Sith fleet has the hyperspace route blocked off, how exactly do we go about doing that?"

"I have a plan as to how to do that. I will allow myself to be captured by Malak. I've specifically designed my armor so that it is resistant to Force attacks and electric shocks. It's also built to feed back into my biological cell structure, which means only I can take it off. Malak can't strip and torture me," Darth Vitellus remarked as she twirled her lightsaber in her hand.

"How did you manage that?" an incredulous Bastila asked her.

"Simple, I used my connection with the Force and engineering skills to design the suit. I spent weeks forging it after all," she took the helmeted mask off and playfully whacked her brother in the hip with it, "And now you're going to take me back home to Corellia. I'm done ruling Naboo. I spent eight years doing it and we've been apart long enough."

Sion was overjoyed to hear that, "You have no idea how happy that makes me. I've been wanting to close the distance between us since forever, but war always got in the way. Now that won't be a problem back home."

Padme winked at him, "I'm not coming back just to do nothing, though. I want to run for office in the federal government. Perhaps Supreme Chancellor?" she saw her brother's eyes with a hint of concern in them, "Relax, I'm joking. Perhaps you could introduce a bill into the Senate to create a second Chancellor?"

"The Senate might like the idea of dual leaders, especially after what Palpatine did. I can put together a legislative proposal and get it passed, but I'm not endorsing anyone in the subsequent election. If you want to win, you'll have to get the people of the galaxy to vote for you. Besides, we're getting way ahead of ourselves," the Supreme Chancellor agreed with her.

"Besides, I might want to run. Maybe Revan as well," Bastila chimed in.

Padme sighed and put her hands on her head in mock annoyance, "Great, just what I want, competition to rule alongside my brother."

Revan smirked, "Maybe I could beat you. You never know... Anyway, back to your plan. How are you going to escape from captivity? They'll have you locked in a stasis cage."

"Easy. Karath will no doubt use electric shocks to try and torture me. When he uses a prolonged burst of it, I'll channel the electronic interference in my suit to co-opt the blast and short-circuit the controls, freeing me. Then I'll kill Karath and whoever else gets in my way. Sion and Bastila can hide with the Aurelia's cloaking device and gun down any Sith in the hangar to free up our escape route. I'll escort who's taken prisoner with me in a stealth attack to get to the bridge. The others in the party can use their talents, such as Canderous making it look like he's dead, to break out and rendevous with us to storm the bridge," Vitellus looked firmly at Revan, "I want you to be taken prisoner with me. That way, you can use your recovered memories to hack into the Leviathan's mainframe and retrieve the Star Forge's coordinates. Don't worry, I won't let Karath torture you."

Revan nodded as he considered her plan, "I haven't recovered my full memory, but I have enough of the Leviathan to hack into the main computer. You better not let me get tortured, that's all I can say," he spoke in a somewhat darker tone.

This time, Padme felt a bit of a chill from his warning, Revan's powerful Force aura making it clear that he meant every word. She silently shook her head in approval before speaking to Bastila, "Do you have any issues with this plan?"

Sion's apprentice thought carefully, "Sion and I can provide rearguard action to keep the hangar bay clear, but what if you, Revan, and the others need back-up? The hundreds or perhaps thousands of Sith crew and some dark Jedi could overwhelm you, and that's not even factoring in Malak. What if you come across him?"

"We'll manage, but we'll reach out using our Force meld if we need help. I'm not worried about Malak. Revan can take him, or I could. After all, I did fight Sion to a draw," Padme smiled playfully.

Satisfied, Bastila looked to her lover, "You've been quiet for a bit. Any reservations?"

"No, it's the best plan we've got. It has great risk, but there is no other way. If this will eliminate having to go to Korriban and get us back home, then I'm all for it. I'm content with rearguard duty, as long as you don't get captured," Sion's blue eyes narrowed considerably, "The thought of you being stripped, tortured, and turned to the dark side have haunted me for a while now. It will not happen as long as I breathe. That, and no one gets to see you in your intimates except for me..."

His girlfriend blushed, "Thanks, I think... So now can we leave?"

"Yes, it's about time I got off Manaan. Just let me wipe Carth's memory real quick and implant a more acceptable version of what happened here. That way, he'll be comfortable with my identity," Lord Vitellus walked over to the frozen pilot and placed both hands on his head.

Sion, Bastila, and Revan watched as she used the Force to wipe Carth's memory of being in Hrakert Station, replacing it with a false story of a pleasant experience in finding out Padme's identity. Him agreeing that her joining their party would be best and knowledge of the plan for infiltrating the Leviathan were also implanted in his mind. Her work done, Padme went behind her desk and took the armor off, revealing a white bodysuit underneath. She retrieved a black Jedi robe from a drawer in the desk and put it on. After putting on black soldier's boots, she was ready, "Wouldn't do to be seen wearing this armor out in the open on Ahto City's streets. Just give me a sec."

She carefully placed the armor in a large bag and slung it over her shoulders. Walking out from behind the desk, she made a small motion with her hand and unfroze Carth, "Alright, let's get going."

With the false memories of meeting her amicably and discussing the infiltration plan, Carth agreed, "I second that. The sooner we're out of here, the better."

With that, he led the way as the others followed him back through the station to the submersible. They boarded and returned to the surface at the Republic embassy. With the Selkath unaware of what was going on and not knowing what Darth Vitellus actually looked like, the party made it back to the Ebon Hawk without difficulty. Within minutes, the ship was airborne and clear of Manaan's orbit.

After proper introductions were made with the rest of the party, Padme explained her plan in great detail for infiltrating the Leviathan. The Ebon Hawk had not gone into hyperspace for this reason.

Canderous agreed to purposely injure himself to make it look like he was on the verge of death. That way, he would get dumped in the med bay and have an easy time breaking out. Carth reluctantly agreed to be taken prisoner after Padme reassured him that Karath would primarily question Revan and use the lion's share of the torture on her. Mission proposed allowing herself to be taken prisoner and using her skills to pickpocket the Sith who would guard her cell. Zaalbar accounted for himself and Jolee by using his strength to pry open a couple of grates in the floor of the ship that were once used for smuggling. With the plan finalized, Canderous went to work in his cabin on presenting himself as half-dead while Zaalbar and Jolee hid under the grates. Revan and Padme went into his own cabin to meditate and prepare for what was coming. Bastila and Sion climbed the turret that connected the Ebon Hawk to the Aurelia, and he activated the cloaking generator once they were strapped inside the starfighter. Carth, sitting alone in the cockpit, switched on the hyperdrive and sent the Ebon Hawk into hyperspace.

"I don't feel comfortable staying behind like this when everything hits the fan," Bastila remarked unhappily as she looked over from the co-pilot's chair to Sion, "I'd much rather be helping the rescue party."

"I do too. I would love to kick Malak's ass, but getting into a prolonged fight with him would only allow the garrison on the ship time to organize themselves and overwhelm us," Sion empathized with her, "We have to keep our exit path open, and the machine gun laser cannons and proton torpedoes on this thing are the best way to do it. And you and I both know Malak wants you for your battle meditation. We have to keep as much distance from him as possible for now."

"I know, I just wish I could play a more active role," she moped a bit.

"How about I let you man the machine guns while I operate the torpedo launcher?" he suggested.

The Jedi Princess perked up with this, "Now you're talking."

No sooner had she finished saying that when they were jolted by the inevitable shock of the freighter being ripped out of hyperspace by the Leviathan's gravity wells. Fortunately, the harnesses on their seats kept them still. The couple looked at each other, knowing all hell would break loose soon.

Revan and Padme hardly moved when the jolt came, their Force meditation keeping them anchored on the floor. "It's time," Padme opened her eyes and picked up her helmet, "You remember exactly what to do?"

"Yes," Revan spoke softly, "Refuse to answer Karath's questions so that he tortures you. You'll pretend he's having an effect by screaming. Once I refuse the final question, he should use a prolonged burst. And that's our ticket out."

"Good, but you forgot one part. I'm going to kill him. You'll have the pleasure of doing it to Malak on the Star Forge, so this is my time," she smiled.

The Jedi Knight surprised her with a chuckle as he leaned in close to her to with a small kiss, "The boldness you have in speaking to me that way is kind of sexy."

She returned the kiss with one of her own, "There's plenty more where that came from..."

Padme broke the kiss to put her helmet on, the Darth Vader voice returning again, "Let's just focus on staying alive so we can enjoy it later."

"I can drink to that," Revan made a mock gesture of toasting with a wine glass.


End file.
